Thread: Sandpaper for a carbatec drum sander WDS400

Originally Posted by Evanism

I've managed to snavel a carbatec drum sander. Its second hand, so I hope it's OK.

My query is the rolls. Carbatec want $18 for them (machine specific), the sandpaperman has much bigger rolls but will need trimming to fit. This seems more economical.

For those out there with such a beast, how do you normally source your sandpaper?

Hi Evanism
I get them from sandpaperman I buy 5 metres of each gives me 2 belts Around 10 Bucks each
Cheers Rod

Just a few days ago i bought 76mmx 10M rolls from the SandpaperMan for about $35 each for the same drum sander. i reckon I will get 3 cuts off each roll - seems good value to me.

You have to cut the ends at an angle , but it is not difficult - use the old piece as a pattern.

Originally Posted by Avery

Just a few days ago i bought 76mmx 10M rolls from the SandpaperMan for about $35 each for the same drum sander. i reckon I will get 3 cuts off each roll - seems good value to me.

You have to cut the ends at an angle , but it is not difficult - use the old piece as a pattern.

Hi Avery
You will get 4 out of 10M Roll with well over a metre left over as you can spin you pattern around each time lets you use the tapered ends as part of the next belt bit hard trying to explain but once you try it you will see the belt size is 2330 mm including the tapered ends
Cheers Rod

Yep, 10m rolls from the sandpaper man are the go.

Originally Posted by nosnow

Hi Avery
You will get 4 out of 10M Roll with well over a metre left over as you can spin you pattern around each time lets you use the tapered ends as part of the next belt bit hard trying to explain but once you try it you will see the belt size is 2330 mm including the tapered ends
Cheers Rod

Yeh! I believe that. I have only cut one belt from the first roll and my quick guestimate was " well, i'll get at least 3 out of that"

4 just makes it even better value.

Hey Evanism,

I scored a quite old version of the same machine just a couple of weeks ago. It had been lying upside down on bare ground under a neighbours house for maybe 10 years. It actually still works a charm. It was very dirty, very rusty but has cleaned up well.

At first it seemed to work OK but when I ran a few tests I found that the left side was 5 mm lower than the right side. After some searching , I found some videos about setting these things up - they talk about shimming the conveyer table to get it level to the drum, but 5mm seemed way out of the equation.

Then i found that the base of the machine consists of two bits of angle iron. One end bolted to the "tower" the other to the support on the outboard side. I loosened the bolts that hold the angle iron to thealloy tower and i found that there was plenty of slack in the bolt holes. It was easy to line the hole thing up and tighten the bolts and then make some fine adjustments with some shims (sandpaper) under the end of the table. The machine is now less than .5mm across thewidth of the drum.

I guess I am telling you this just in case you install new paper in the thing and find that it is all screwed up.

I wasted a couple of hours on it - perhaps you won't need to. Good luck with it fromthe Carba-tec400mm drumsander appreciation society.

You know, that's why ideally love this forum.

People who I barely know chip in with quality advice, their own insights and how to get things done cheaper.

Many many thanks to everyone who took the time to help me out. Rod, Alex and Avery, first class.

Off to TSPM and order up a nice big roll of 80 and 120.

Thanks all. Evan.

Originally Posted by Evanism

Off to TSPM and order up a nice big roll of 80 and 120.

Thanks all. Evan.

I have found 180 grit is quite usefull also.

Strips cut from aluminium drink cans make good shims.

Originally Posted by Chesand

I have found 180 grit is quite usefull also.

Strips cut from aluminium drink cans make good shims.

Both good hints. I pulled off the existing belt to see how it all operated. Pretty simple really.

I did a thickness text with MDF and a pencil for some vigorous scribbling. The non motor end is down about 1mm.

As you suggested, shimming seemed obvious to me, but I was going to use some feeler gauges from supercheap (or similar) as these are in various sizes and get close to exact. The cans are a damn fine idea too. Those and aluminium foil would work perfectly too....just fold and flatten in several layers until perfect....even drillable.

I also must publicly thank WoodTherapy (aka "Brett") for picking this up for me while I was skint. A good bloke.

These are useful machines but can be a PITA to get the setup correct (DAMHIK). I have nearly thrown mine out in disgust a couple of times.

I turn the timber around and put it through a second time and I find that evens out any discrepancy in the level of the drum.

On a side note
I was sick of stalling mine I am in the process of "Tim The Toolmaning" mine I am replacing the motor with a 1.5 HP Hi Torque DC motor that will give me variable speed forward reverse when we test it I will put up some piccies
Cheers Rod

Originally Posted by Chesand

These are useful machines but can be a PITA to get the setup correct (DAMHIK). I have nearly thrown mine out in disgust a couple of times.

I turn the timber around and put it through a second time and I find that evens out any discrepancy in the level of the drum.

When I first looked at it I thought this was going to be a sticking point too.

Upon advice from the forum, I had my kids drink 4 cans of soft drink this arvo. I'm a good dad!

Cut them up with scissors and measured the thickness. 0.1mm. Perfect! I cut a piece of MDF to 400x150. Drew on both sides vigorously with a carpenters pencil, cranked down the winder until I only just *barely* touched the MDF. Then I fired it up and ran it through once. Measured it with the micrometers, turned it directly over and ran it again. Remeasured it.

It was out 2mm across the length to the non-motor end. Easy peasy. Carefully used two steel rulers to fold each can length wise 5 times then flattened them. It effectively made, after trimming and using a hole punch, 4 more shims that were exactly 0.5mm each.

Undid the bolts, tightened every other bold up nice and hard, slid in the shims, tightened it all back down, made up a new test piece with pencil and ran it through. Set for only the tiniest hair to take off. Absolutely perfect. Flip, wind it down a fifth of a turn, did it again. Perfect across the the entire 400mm.

Grabbed the micrometer and checked it. Now, this is going to sound like bragging, but it was out from back/front/left/right by less than 0.03mm. It was stupid stupid accurate.

So, I grabbed a bit of ply and did the same. Same results. Amazing.

So, double so, those who suggested coke cans are spot on. They are uniformly 0.1mm thickness. And make very reliable shims. Once cut open, folded carefully to the right width (of a steel ruler) they make extremely predictable packers. Plus they are as long as the underside of the bed, so support is very good.

For a real world action, I had a return on a chop board for repair. #Doofus who bought it left a big greasy roast on it overnight and thought it would be smart to soak it in hot water for several hours....submerged.

Needless to say, the carefully glued up timbers decided to test their glue and water absorbancy limits. #

Let it dry right out for 2 weeks and ran it through, both sides. #It's amazing. #The timber is too knotty and gnarly for the thicknesser so I did it previously with the Festool belt sander.... Well, won't be using that too much after today's experience.

It flattened the board on both sides parallel in under 5 minutes. Grabbed the micro and it was spot on right around...not close, it was spot on.

Soooo happy with it.